Causeous Necrosis
by Johnclaw Dragonhelm
Summary: Based on Bacterial Contamination. When Karane Ca is injured severely, Kaito finds her. The story of their bonding and learning to heal and live through the ups and downs of life. (Johnclaw Dragonhelm)
1. Chapter 1: Shadows

Author's Note: Hello and welcome to my newest story. This will be mostly finished by the time the first chapter is uploaded, so know most of everything is going to be set it stone for the most part. If you're one of the Beta's I specifically contacted during its writing, this note doesn't apply.

Any way, I want to warn people this story is a little bit on the mature side. There will not be anything sexually graphic, but there will be violence, depression, bullying, and possible mentions of suicidal thoughts.

Special mentions go to one person in particular. The one who inspires me every day of my life. You know who you are. :)

**Chapter 1: Shadow**

A small trickle of blood ran down the corner of her mouth as she coughed. Reaching up, not slowing as she fled, Karane wiped it aside. It didn't matter right now. If she stopped, there would be lots more. They would ensure that. So she kept fleeing, her legs having long stopped burning and become numb.

Her lungs, however, still burnt with the sensation of glass shards tearing through the delicate flesh. Pain flashed through her body with each ragged breath. She desperately wanted to stop running and just collapse until she withered away, but she kept running.

She didn't know why she kept running, especially considering she had contemplated death so often before. Why not lay down and let it overtake her? It would be over so fast, her body a crumpled husk of warped flesh that would rot away, along with her troubles. Nobody would miss her, save possibly Neru and Nero.

But even as the thoughts flashed their way through, she kept running. The small, naive voice of hope kept arguing back. Perhaps she could outrun them. Outlast their stamina. Find a place to hide. A deep feeling in her stomach told her there would be no escape.

It felt like everything wanted to let out a final yell of pain before screaming her soul out. Her ears could hear with perfect clarity the sound of shoes tapping behind her, drawing closer. Even though she was running on adrenaline, she was in poor shape and wouldn't be able to go long.

She was sweating up a storm, her red and black hair sticking to her and her white school shirt. She was glad for the skirt so she could run, but her boots were not conducive to running. She felt her feet burning...

...before they were in the air. She soon found the cold asphalt rushing up to greet her. She offered no resistance, only letting out the breath that she held. She felt everything slow as she fell on her side. Her skin was scrapped open in several places. Blood splattered in a few directions, though she only felt a coldness rather than warmth.

Lying on her side, she dimly looked up at the dark shapes surrounding her. She didn't need to see them to know who was going to end her life. Here, in a disgusting alley, where no one would find her until she was well rotted. Perfect end for one as lowly as her.

Closing her eyes, she felt the first kick straight to her chest. She felt nothing, and merely smiled a weak smile that showed her resign. None of the other kicks hurt, even though they mangled her body and broke bones. And then, as if nothing was wrong, they left, leaving Karane in the dim light of an overhead street-light...

Kaito looked up at the intermittent street-lights that lined the alleyways to the apartments. He was rather late getting home and wanted nothing more to crawl into bed after another disappointing day of office work. He sighed as he strolled under the lights, remembering several of the events of the day.

The day had started off _oh-so-cheery_ when he got even less sleep than he normally did. 3 hours. Shuffling to work, he managed to make it through without falling asleep, and even managed to correctly file his reports. It took another downturn when one of the woman asked him out to coffee. He really didn't care, so he accepted as a friendly gesture.

That was a mistake. He wouldn't be surprised if rumors of him being gay just because he didn't like any of the woman there would rise again. And it had made him late. He hated being late, especially as of recently, with the crime rate rise and all.

He was so preoccupied in his thoughts, he almost missed the faint sound of a moan. Looking about, he felt a bit of panic set in. Was someone there? He could be robbed or...

It came again, ever so faint. His sense of urgency and curiosity getting the better of him, he began to follow it. It didn't take long to find its source.

He wanted to hurl at the sight.

Lying still at the edge of the lamplight was the broken form of a girl. Her limbs were bent at ungodly angles, many with bones poking through. Lacerations ran the length of her body, and her face was turned away. And the blood. It was rolling out into an expanding puddle, like an evil slime crawling forth in search of something to infect.

Kaito fell back in fear and nausea. He tried to gather his wits, just barely managing to pull it together enough to dial 911 and tell them where he was (if not rather incoherently). He sat, holding his head in his hands, rocking back and forth slightly as he waited.

He didn't hear the sirens, so he jumped when a paramedic touched his shoulder. The man reassured him it was going to fine, and lead him into the back of the ambulance, wrapping a shock blanket around him. Kaito couldn't help but shudder as he caught one last glimpse of the girl as the paramedics frantically gathered around her, blocking his view...

Kaito awoke with a headache, not sure where he was or what happened. He felt extremely tired, like he had slept on rocks. Opening his eyes, he looked at the room around him.

It was a waiting room. Rather garishly colored green plastic chairs formed rows in which people could wait. He didn't understand why there were so many, as the was almost no one here. There probably wouldn't have been many even if it were the middle of the day rather than the dead of night. It was the ER waiting room after all.

The waiting lady typed away, copying notes from the look of it. She was very wrapped up in it. Which was why it surprised Kaito when she suddenly whipped her head towards him. "Kaito Shion?" she called.

Kaito nodded and strode over. He nervously clenched his thumb between his index and middle finger as he waited. Kaito could now see what she was wearing. She had teal hair that came out in two pigtails that extended nearly to her feet. She wore a doctor's outfit (it even had the stethoscope around her shoulders). A name tag on her left breast pocket read "Mrs. Hatsune".

"You can go in now. Room 267B, at the end of the hallway on the right" she said grimly. She looked to him for a moment, seeming as though trying to think of something to say. Eventually, she just said, "She's in bad shape. We didn't even think she'd live. And..." she looked down sadly, "No one's come to visit her. Her family hasn't shown up."

Kaito tried to think of something to say, but gave up. Mrs. Hatsune smiled, then she slowly turned back to her work and typed more reports.

A few minutes later, Kaito was in front of the room's door. He found himself having doubts. For what reason he could not tell. He didn't have anything to be nervous about. It wasn't like he had wronged her or anything, so what was he nervous about?

He tried to push down the fear that was clawing his stomach. He leaned up against the wall for support and began breathing deeply. Sliding down, he sat on the floor and held his head in his hands. His anxiety was kicking in, and slowly he was succumbing to it. He desperately tried to push it away This girl should see at least one person after her brush with death. And since her family hadn't shown up, he might as well.

He had saved this girl. He had nearly missed her, on the verge of disregarding the sound that alerted him to her presence. Yet everything had lined up for him to arrive in time, as if pre-planned. Surely that meant something. He had even held it together long enough to call 911 and stay conscious until he saw her enter the ambulance.

Wait, he had pulled it together then. No anxiety. Faced with a situation of much larger gravity then, he had managed to stave off the immobilizing anxiety. As he thought about it, he could feel the knot in his stomach loosen a little. Clenching his fist in determination, he pushed against the wall and stood up. He looked at the door handle, and willed himself to grab it. Twisting, he inhaled deeply and stepped through the threshold.

Looking up from her bed, Karane saw an unfamiliar man walk in. He was wearing a long coat with a blue scarf. He held himself in a mildly nervous way, but an uneasy smile almost seemed to beg acceptance from her. Karane was confused.

No one had wanted her acceptance. She was always seeking it of others. This was foreign to her. She shook her head. Why was she worrying about that? Who was this man?

He wasn't wearing a doctor's outfit, so it was highly unlikely he was a doctor, unless he was a psych evaluator trying to trick her. She didn't think that likely, as they had no basis for an evaluation. He was more likely just a person, but it wasn't anyone she knew. She felt mildly nervous, but threw on a smile that she had so often practiced.

"Hello" he said nervously.

"Hello. Who are you?" she asked.

"My name's Kaito Shion." The name struck a chord. When the nurse came in here last, she said something about a man with that name. Thinking hard through the drugged memory, she remembered he was the man who found her.

"What made you save me?" she asked, a hint of anger slipping through. She could have just died and finally escaped from this nightmare. She felt her fists clench tightly. The Shion man noticed and backed up slightly.

"What do you mean? Are you saying..." he paused nervously. "That you wanted to die?"

"That's exactly it. It would have saved me from this damned life I'm living." She looked dismally out the window. There was a mild rain coming down that signified the approach of a larger storm.

Mr. Shion opened his mouth, but no words came out. He didn't know how he was going to respond to that, let alone reassure her. She sighed. "You're just like everyone else. No one cares, and no one wants to speak to me."

Mr. Shion felt a small amount of rage at the comment. He snapped back; "Don't compare me to the people who did this to you. I'm not like them. I saved you, and then I came here to talk to you, make sure you're okay."

Karane was taken aback. He had been infuriated by her statement. Perhaps he did care...

He continued talking. "Before you pass judgment on me, at least give me a chance. I want to prove I'm a good person. You could use a friend."

Karane felt a sadness inside of her. She had almost judged him without basis. Like everyone had to her. Never getting to know her, never caring, always hating. She had almost done the same. Sadness turned to sickness and she felt reviled at the thought.

"Alright."

Hurrah! First chapter done!


	2. Chapter 2: Morbidity

Author's Note: Hello and welcome back! I hope you all had a great New Year! Anyway, here's another chapter! Also, thanks go to my kirei no tamashii!

**Chapter 2: Morbidity**

As Kaito reached the end of the street, he turned back to look at the hospital. He had passed it before on his way to work, but never had he really looked at it. It's white facade was faded from the rain eating away at it, and the air ripping at it. The sign could use some light replacements too.

This building was designed to save people and yet it is in such poor shape, Kaito ruminated. Everyone in the town was exposed to the polluting conditions. It was a miracle they weren't all sick. And yet they thought nothing of it.

To say Kaito's mood was dampened would be an understatement. It was soaked through and through. Yet he forced a smile and began walking home.

"What does the future hold" Kaito wondered aloud. He didn't know what he had gotten into by helping the girl, but he didn't particularly care about the consequences at the moment. All he knew is he was helping someone by being their friend.

That girl was interesting. There was so much he saw in her. She had the potential to be a great person, he could just tell. But she had hidden inside of herself. He suspected this was not the first incident.

Thinking about such things, soon even his false smile slipped and he walked along the street somberly. His head down, and the rain coming, he felt the world become smaller. The creeping cold was not just from the pouring rain, but from the dark feelings he felt.

He hardly noticed when he ran into a young blond woman.

Until she smacked him over the head and began yelling. "Watch where you're going, baka!" But her shouts were drowned out as a heavy clap of thunder roared overhead. Both of them looked up before ducking into the nearby mall.

Shaking herself off, the blond whipped around to face Kaito. She wore her hair (which Kaito now could see was more gold) in a side ponytail. Her gold eyes were focused angrily on Kaito. "What were you thinking?"

Kaito was about to respond, but she interrupted him. "Never mind. But I won't be able to get to the hospital in this weather." Kaito's interest was piqued by this comment.

"Are you injured? Do you need help?" The girl looked at him curiously.

"No I'm not. Keep yourself together knight" she said snarkily. "I was going to see a friend who was admitted last night. Why do you care?"

Kaito decided to take a stab at it. "Is their name Karane Ca by chance?"

The girl looked at Kaito in surprise. "How...how did you know?"

"Because I just came from the hospital. I'm the guy who called 911 for her" Kaito replied.

For a minute the girl could not speak, but then she grabbed Kaito's coat and began spewing out questions. "Is she alright? Did she say anything? Who attacked her?"

"She's fine. She survived and the doctor's stabilized her condition" he replied quietly. The girl looked up, her eyes full of tears, then buried her face in Kaito's coat.

"Thank you. Thank you so much" she said sobbing. Kaito gave her a comforting pat on the back.

"Perhaps we should sit and talk for a bit" he offered. The girl looked up and nodded.

"My name's Neru Akita. Karane's a close friend of mine. To be honest, I'm pretty much her only friend. Everyone else hates her" Neru said sadly.

"Why is she so hated?"

"You didn't see?" Neru asked.

"See what?" Kaito hadn't noticed much, but then again, he had been trying to comfort the girl, so he hadn't really been looking at her. Thinking back, he couldn't remember anything really strange about her.

"Her...deformity, for lack of a better word" Neru said nervously. This surprised Kaito, as he thought he would have seen that.

"Deformity? I didn't see anything strange, or at least, that I can remember."

"You probably weren't on her left side, right?" When Kaito thought back, he was indeed on her right side. He nodded.

"While, the left side of her face is scarred terribly. The marks are black and look almost like bone" Neru said, her gaze drifting distantly, as if remembering a bad memory.

"How'd she get that?" Kaito inquired, concern flowing into his voice.

Neru slammed her hand on the table and stood angrily while shouting. "It was her damn parents fault. They don't give a shit about her. They rented a cheap house, and forced Karane to sleep in the anxiety closet." Sighing and breathing raggedly, she mumbled the last part. "It was filled with mold."

"So it was a fungal infection?" Neru nodded.

"The doctor's prevented it from killing her, but her parents didn't want to or have the money to pay for the reconstructive surgery. She's had it since middle school."

"So the other kids hate her because of her face?"

"That's only a fraction of it. She's also poor, quiet, a good girl who doesn't like parties, and just about everything the popular kids hate. And in our neighborhood, the popular kids run the town. They have money, and more than once there had been a student that crossed them that went missing..."

"Dear Lord..." Kaito was horrified. That was terrible! He set his jaw and curled his fingers into a fist. "Neru, listen. I'm going to help you guys. I swear it." He said with fire in his eyes.

Neru looked at him with those gold eyes, scanning his face. A small smile crossed her face. "I trust you." Standing, she started towards the doors of the mall. "See you later, I hope."

"Wait!" Kaito yelled after her. Stopping, she turned to look at him. Kaito motioned for her to wait for a moment. He ran over to a nearby shop and purchased an umbrella. Handing it to Neru, he spoke quietly. "Say hi to Karane for me will you?"

Neru nodded, turning to go. However, she stopped right at the door. Looking over her shoulder, she asked; "Say, I didn't get your name. I'm sure Karane will want to know I ran into you."

"Name's Kaito. Kaito Shion."

Neru nodded and stepped out into the driving rain, a yellow umbrella protecting her.

Karane was bouncing with as much energy as she could muster for Neru's visit. The nurse had told her that she was coming, and now Karane was thinking of every question she could. So when Neru walked through the door, swinging an umbrella and looking soaked, Karane started the bombardment.

"How did you hear? Why are you here?" Karane would have kept going, but Neru shushed her as she shook off her coat and took a seat beside Karane's bed.

"I have my ways of hearing things, especially when it concerns my friends. And I came to visit you silly" Neru said, playfully smacking Karane on the back of the head. Karane smiled broadly.

"Where'd you get the umbrella?" Karane asked curiously. As far as Karane could remember, Neru didn't have one.

"A friend of yours" Neru said, a glint of mischievous look in her eyes.

"I don't have any other friends than you and your siblings" Karane said confused.

"While it's not from Nero or Lily, I can tell you that" Neru replied, not giving it up yet.

"Tell me!" Karane said eagerly.

"Fine" Neru said rolling her eyes. "If you're SO eager. It was a man named Kaito Shion." Karane's face was not what Neru had expected. She had expected a moment of understanding, then some idle chatter. Instead Karane's face looked shocked, and then...was that a mild blush?

"Re..re..ally?" She stuttered. "You met him?"

"Yeah" Neru said slowly. "Why is that so strange?"

"N...no reason" Karane replied, avoiding eye contact.

Neru suspected something, but she bit her tongue for now. After all, her friend was in the hospital, so she had to cut her SOME slack. "Any way" Neru said, changing the subject. "You should have seen Nero when I told him I was going to visit you."

"Oh God, you didn't tell him I was in the hospital?!"

"Heavens, no. I told him I was just going to see you. Lily knew though and agreed to keep him busy. The kid's smart, but he doesn't know when he's being lied to" Neru said with a smile.

"Still got a crush on me?" Karane asked with a small smile.

"Yep, though it's not as big as it was" Neru replied with a laugh.

They spent the next hour chatting away about life, though Karane didn't really have much to say about hers (and what she might have said was bad). Eventually the nurse came and told Neru she had to leave. Neru nodded and gave Karane a hug.

"See you later!" Neru called as she stepped out the door. Karane yelled "goodbye" back.

As soon as Neru was out, Karane slipped into pondering. Kaito had met Neru? How much had she told him? Sighing, she realized her friend had probably spilled it all. And Kaito did not seem the kind of man to leave it alone.


	3. Chapter 3: Dormant Phase

Author's Note: Hello! Sorry for being late, the semester's ending, and I had a lot to do between my classes. I was hoping to start this a day before, but oh well. As always, **reviews** are appreciated. ^_^

As always, a special mention to my kirei no tamashii. :)

**Chapter 3: Dormant Phase**

Kaito looked up at the storm clouds overhead. Though it was no longer raining, it was dark out, even for winter. But that was nothing new in this town. Everyone was used to the smog clouds blocking out the sky and stars. Just another "glorious" part of living in the city.

But tonight, it brought about a sense of dread in Kaito. As he walked, he felt almost as if there were people hiding in the long shadows, ready to snatch him away. Sometimes, he thought he saw something distinctly _not_ human, like a claw or tail. But they were just flashes of movement he imagined. Albeit, ones that terrified him.

He replayed the conversation with Neru over in his head, contemplating all she had said. She had definitely infuriated, and Kaito could feel some of that bitterness too. But being a peaceful man, he suppressed it, deciding not to let it guide his actions.

He could not brush aside the conversation with Karane as easily. It kept sticking to his mind, and he was unable to force it away. He mulled over the conversation, trying to find the thing that seemed to make it stick so well.

There had to be something. Nothing was this prominent in his mind before. That isn't to say he was air-headed or distracted, but he did tend to be a bit flighty on occasion. But this countered that previous behavior, and it puzzled him.

Perhaps he had actually seen a bit of Karane's deformity and didn't realize it, and now he was trying to remember it. Kaito doubted that, as she had done a fairly good job of avoiding that side. Perhaps she'd said something strange, like a sentence that made no sense.

A single sentence flashed through his memory. "It would have saved me from this damned life I'm living." She had apparently wanted to die. Kaito felt a familiar sense of revulsion crawl up into his stomach. How anyone could want to die was beyond him. She must have suffered horribly to want that.

Suddenly, he found himself at the exact spot he found her. There was still a dark spot that saturated the ground with its vile ichor. Trailing into the darkness was a trail of dark stain that gleamed almost a ebony tainted crimson in the night. Kaito felt his fists clenched as he began walking along it. He felt deep down that following this trail would lead him to something.

As he walked, he tried to imagine what had happened, but he could not conjure something to explain this. The further he walked, the more he doubted. Soon, he had gone easily a mile. He felt a deep, eerie chill as he realized that Karane ran all this way.

Looking down, he noticed that there were footprints in the blood. That implied there was someone following her. And it looked like multiple people. She had been pursued, and then, when she couldn't run anymore, beaten nearly to death.

Kaito almost felt like hurling then and there, but his body kept him moving, his mind a hazy fog. He just kept walking, no longer sparing the glances down for fear of losing the little control he had left. That's when he finally arrived.

Turning, he came upon an alley. This was where the blood trail started. Looking around, he found the source. It appeared Calne had been pushed into a wall (there was a blood splatter that was smeared like someone was on it) and then sliced (as evidenced by the spray that went to the ground). She had been ambushed in the alley, and then pursued for a couple of miles or so. The thought finally pushed Kaito over the edge and he hurled in a nearby garbage can.

Spitting to cleanse the acid taste left in his mouth, he looked around, leaning on the wall. What was around here that she could be here for? Stepping out onto the street, he looked around.

To his left was a basic convenience store, the kind you grabbed a soda and candy bar at on a long trip. Beyond that, rows of slum housing. It wasn't likely she lived that way, considering she walked into the alley and away from the houses.

Turning, his gaze stopped on an open field. The brown-green grass was a disgusting shade, and served little contrast to the flat concrete structure that lay amidst it. A sign near a drive-in stated: Delilah High School.

She had been walking home from school. Just trying to get home from school when she was subjected to the cruelty of the other students. They were taking out their rage on her, and she had nearly died because of it. He felt no sickness, just anger.

Glaring at the school, his scarf blowing in the light wind, he swore to get her out of there. He swore to save her.

Karane woke up sore, and more so than normal. Everything hurt, and her breath came out raggedly, pain infusing with every inhale, and dull throbbing on every exhale. Desperately, she reached around for the help button.

Soon, the nurse came in, syringe ready. She unerringly inserted it into the IV drip and soon Karane felt her death grip on the sides loosen. Her breath finally began to return to normal, and she fell back exhausted. The nurse wore a grim expression as she called down to the doctors. She ordered some kind of medicine Karane didn't recognize. In no mood to fight it, she took the medicine.

The nurse called in a doctor, who examined her charts with a distant interest. She felt like she could spit acid right now, she was so angry to know what was going on. She finally managed to choke out speech: "Well?"

The doctor affixed her gaze, his cold eyes piercing hers. His face was calm, yet there was an unseen strength in him. His jaw was still, though it wasn't set. His expression was at best described as decisive. That was when it hit Karane. She was getting worse. The grim outline of his expression told her enough.

"I'm sorry. Your body functions are deteriorating, and your condition is being aggravated by the reintroduction of the fungus that scarred your face into your blood stream. You likely have a week to live, assuming we can't get you proper medical care. Unfortunately, that seems out of range for you, as we have received no contact from your parents, and so, are unable to get the funding required for the treatment. I am truly sorry" he said, his expression lightly letting sorrow slip.

Karane had never felt so low in her life. Her stomach felt like it had deflated and was pulling everything else in. A pressure in her chest made it feel like she couldn't breathe, and no words could find themselves in her blurry mind. Everything seemed so distant. It couldn't really be happening, it couldn't really be happening...

And all this time, Karane didn't say a thing. Instead, she looked out the window, a deep sorrow etched on her face. The doctor and nurse quietly exited the room. Outside, it was again snowing and shadows played across the room. A small, distant smile forced its way onto her face and she felt a strange calm. She was finally gonna get out of here and away from all the suffering, the hate, the worthlessness.

A click told her someone was entering, but she didn't turn her head, instead, just kept staring at the snow. Soon, Kaito appeared and sat in the window seat, quietly looking at her. He said nothing, but the worry on his face was readily apparent.

Finally, he spoke. "What's the matter?"

"I'll be free soon" Karane replied with a smile. Kaito's face was briefly puzzled, but the realization dawned on him.

"You don't mean..?"

"Yes, Kaito, I am going to die."

Phew... that took too long.


End file.
